


Here In The House We Built

by mintandcookies



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Honestly they deserve better, I think I pinpointed Lucio’s assholeness, I tried to keep everyone in character while following my narrative, I’m over here hustling for stuff I want to read, There really isn’t any content for Lucio/Nadia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 11:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19462606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintandcookies/pseuds/mintandcookies
Summary: The Red Plague ravished Vensuvia, before long, it turned on Lucio. Plague ridden and bed sick, Lucio had some time think about everything that troubled him.





	Here In The House We Built

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Forced bug consumption

“Noddy,” Lucio started, his voice a hoarse whisper. 

“Yes, Lucio?” Nadia asked, looking up from her book. 

“You love me, right?” Lucio asked quietly as if he were scared of the answer he might receive. 

Nadia stared at him for a few seconds, the pitiful man before her, inches from death. It would be cruel to tell him anything other than what he wanted to hear. 

“Of course I do, Lucio,” she replied, reaching out to run a soothing hand through his hair. 

Lucio leaned into her touch, closing his eyes for a moment. 

“Noddy, how is it possible to love someone and betray them at the same time?” He asked, his voice almost innocent. 

Nadia felt her heart jump as she continued to run her fingers through Lucio’s blonde locks. 

“What do you mean, Lucio?” She asked, hiding her shaking hands in his hair.

“I might be on the verge of death, but I’m not stupid,” Lucio sneered, grabbing Nadia’s wrist and pulling her close to him. “Do you think I don’t know about your little meetings, your scheming. The second my heart gives out you’re gonna undo years of my work. Vesuvia is mine-“ 

Lucio succumbed to a coughing fit, loosening his grip on Nadia just enough for her to wrench herself free, leaving her shawl in his grasp. 

“Lucio, you’re out of your mind,” Nadia yelled, backing away from her husband. “The plague’s butchered your brain.”

“No, no, I’m perfectly sane,” Lucio sneered, wiping his mouth of the blood he’d coughed up. “Did you really think I wouldn’t hear about it? This castle has ears everywhere. Everywhere, Noddy.”

Lucio began to cough again, heaving as he struggled to fill his lungs. 

Nadia used Lucio’s momentary distraction to wordlessly escape his room, rushing down the stairs to find Asra and Julian. 

“Noddy-“ Lucio groaned weakly, pawing at his bedsheets as he stained them red.

Lucio collapsed face down on his bed—shaking as he cried. His tears turned into loud, heaving sobs. Kicking his legs until he tangled up his sheets.

Lucio hadn’t expected to see Nadia again, not so soon after he accused her of treason. And when she walked back through his bedroom doors, his mouth was still filled with the metallic tang of blood. 

“You, you were just here,” Lucio stuttered out, feeling for the shawl Nadia left behind, but coming up empty-handed. 

“What do you mean, Lucio?” Nadia asked, worry tainting her words. 

“I was coughing and you,” Lucio trailed off, unsure what to make of Nadia’s concern. 

“See what I mean, Doctor Devorak?” Nadia said, turning from her husband to the doctor behind her. “He’s been having these little fits, lapses of memory.”

The tall redhead approached Lucio’s bedside, a comforting smile plastered on his lips. 

“Lucio, how are you feeling?” Julian sat down on the corner of Lucio’s bed, removing his heavy gloves to check Lucio’s temperature. 

“I,” Lucio looked between Nadia and Julian, they’d always been there for him, maybe the plague was taking its toll. “I’m fine,” he said, eyeing the jar of leeches peeking out of Julian’s coat.

Julian’s eyes followed Lucio’s to his coat.

“Ah, don’t worry about these beauties,” Julian said, taking the jar out. “They’re harmless suckers.”

Lucio’s blood ran cold at the sight of the wriggling leeches. 

Nadia coughed, motioning for Julian to put the leeches away. Carefully, she sat down next to Julian, squeezing Lucio’s hand.  
Lucio returned the gesture, choosing to ignore how Nadia’s hands felt cold in his own.  
Julian‘s gaze lingered on the scene for just a second too long before he tore himself away. 

“Everything seems normal in Lucio’s system, like it’s evening out. We don’t have a definitive cure yet, but our first prototype has already managed to reverse the effects of the plague in some rats,” Julian said, directing his words towards Nadia more than Lucio. 

“Wonderful, when do you think it’ll be ready for the people?” Nadia asked, letting Lucio play with the rings on her fingers. 

“A few weeks maybe?” Julian said, fiddling with a quill. “Even with the rats it doesn’t work 100% of the time, for every rat we save, two more die.”

“I can take those odds,” Lucio said, looking up at the doctor. 

“Lucio, if you died, half of Vesuvia would be calling for my head,” Julian said. “That’s not a chance I want to take.”

Lucio snorted, returning to messing around with Nadia’s jewelry. 

“I think that maybe we should start the physical exam,” Julian said, his eyes shifting between Nadia and the door. 

“Ah,” Nadia said, nodding. “Lucio, I’m going to head back down to my chambers, Doctor Devorak’ll take care of you.”

“A kiss? For luck?” Lucio asked, tightening his grip on Nadia’s hand to hold her back. 

Nadia smiled at him and bent over his face. Lucio craned his neck up expectingly only for Nadia to plant a kiss on his forehead before patting his cheek. 

“Save a kiss for when you recover,” Nadia whispered, tucking Lucio’s hair back.

“I love you, Noddy,” Lucio called after his wife, flashing a smile as Nadia closed the door behind her. 

Julian shifted on the bed, watching Nadia leave before turning his attention to Lucio. 

“I see we have some new things developing,” Julian said, pulling out his journal and flipping to Lucio’s section. 

“New, huh?” Lucio asked, reading over the doctor’s notes. “Subject shows little improvement, immune system is slow to respond to treatment-“

Julian slammed the journal shut. 

“That’s for my eyes only, Lucio,” Julian said, placing the book off to the corner.

“Ah,” Lucio said, sitting back in his bed. “Well you already checked my temperature and I told you I don’t want any more of those disgusting bloodsuckers on me anymore. What more is there, Jules?”

“There’s the cure we’re working on the cure, nothing suitable yet, but we’re getting there,” Julian replied, pulling out a bundle of metal instruments. 

“That’s what you’ve been saying for the past two weeks, I want you to take a good look at me. I don’t have another two weeks,” Lucio said, growing restless in his bed. “Which is why I’m expediting the process.”

Julian paused for a moment, unsure of what the Count meant. 

“Guards!” Lucio yelled, his eyes gleaming with something mean. 

Immediately, several armed men rushed in, holding Julian down. 

“Lucio, what are you doing?” Julian yelled, struggling against his human bonds. 

“I’ve been thinking lately, you know, being bed sick and all, there are no parties to distract me. So I decided that you need a little motivation to find a cure at a faster pace.”

A masked figure walked into the room holding a covered cage. The figure chuckled and Julian’s ears cringed at the sound. 

“Valdemar,” he said, watching the other doctor uncovered the cage to reveal a scuttling red beetle. “Valdemar, you don’t have to do this,” Julian said, panic rising in his voice as he realized what Lucio’s plan was. 

“Oh, but I do,” Valdemar grinned, watching Julian squirm at the sight of the beetle. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your body during my autopsy.” Valdemar removed the beetle from its cage, their gloves maintaining a firm grip on it. “Open up, Doctor Devorak,” Valdemar said, prying open Julian’s jaws.

“Come on, Jules. You’ve worked with plague beetles before,” Lucio said, smirking at his own joke. “I’m sure you won’t mind being a little closer with them.”

The last thing Julian experienced before passing out, was the feeling of sticky little legs crawling down his throat.

Lucio’s voice pounded through his head. 

“I’ve come to terms with my death, but have you?”


End file.
